Social Security Agreement with South Korea

This page covers:

• New Zealanders who have lived, live, or are going to live in South Korea
• South Koreans who have lived, live, or are going to live in New Zealand.

Who can get these payments

The Korean old age benefit

You may be able to get the Korean old age benefit if you're:

• aged 60 or more - the age you may qualify from depends on your date of birth
• living and residing in New Zealand.

You must also have contributed to the Korean National Pension Scheme for a certain length of time, called a period of coverage. You must have a period of coverage of either:

• at least 10 years, or
• at least 12 months, and also resided in New Zealand between the ages of 20 and 65. Your combined period of coverage and residence in New Zealand must be at least 10 years.

This is the only payment from South Korea covered by the reciprocal agreement with New Zealand.

How much you can get depends on your age and any income you have, South Korea will calculate this amount when you apply. You may also have to pay tax to South Korea, this will be deducted before it's paid to you.

Other payments from South Korea: You may be able to get other payments from South Korea that are not covered by this agreement. This includes things like private pensions or insurance payments. If you're getting payments from us, you need to tell us if you're also getting payments from South Korea, or if you might be able to get one. This is so we can make sure we're paying you the right amount.  

NZ Super (New Zealand Superannuation)

You may be able to get NZ Super paid to you while you're living in South Korea. To get this you must:

• be at least 65 years old
• be living, or intend to live, in South Korea for at least the next 26 weeks
• have lived in New Zealand for at least 12 consecutive months between the ages of 20 and 65
• have spent 10 or more years (depending on your date of birth, see: Who can get NZ Super) since the age of 20 either living in New Zealand or contributing to the Korean National Pension Scheme, or a combination of these
• have spent 5 years since the age of 50 either living in New Zealand or contributing to the Korean National Pension Scheme, or a combination of these
• be in New Zealand or South Korea when you apply.

Veteran’s Pension

You may be able to get a Veteran’s Pension paid to you while you’re living in South Korea. To get this you must:

• be at least 65 years old
• be living, or intend to live, in South Korea for at least the next 26 weeks
• have lived in New Zealand for at least 12 consecutive months between the ages of 20 and 65
• have spent 10 or more years (depending on your date of birth, see: Who can get NZ Super) since the age of 20 either living in New Zealand or contributing to the Korean National Pension Scheme, or a combination of these
• have spent 5 years since the age of 50 living in either New Zealand or contributing to the Korean National Pension Scheme, or a combination of these
• have served with the New Zealand Defence Force in an active conflict for at least 2 years
• be in New Zealand or South Korea when you apply.

Getting NZ Super or Veteran's Pension in New Zealand

You may be able to use the South Korean Agreement to meet the residential qualifications for NZ Super or Veteran's Pension while you'e living in New Zealand. You still need to meet all the other qualifications for these payments.

To use the South Korean Agreement, you must have resided in New Zealand for at least one continuous year between the age of 20 and 65. If you have this, you can use your South Korean contribution periods to meet the remaining residence requirements:

• to meet the 10 or more years of residence in New Zealand after the age of 20, you can use your South Korean contribution periods after the age of 20.
• to meet the 5 years residence in New Zealand after the age of 50, you can use your South Korean contribution periods after the age of 50.

Other Work and Income payments

Any other payments from us, such as benefits or extra help payments (eg Winter Energy Payment, Disability Allowance) cannot be paid if you're living in South Korea.

Applying

If there's a possibility you may be able to get payments from South Korea, you must apply, even if you're not sure you'll get payments or it's not covered by the reciprocal agreement.

Checking what you might be able to get from South Korea is a condition of getting a payment from the Ministry of Social Development. This is because New Zealand and South Korea have agreed to share the responsibility of contributing to your welfare.

How to apply from New Zealand

If you're already getting a payment from us, you may be asked to apply for the Korean old age benefit, and we'll send the application form to you. However, if you think you qualify and we haven't sent you an application, you can contact International Services to arrange this.

The application form will ask for:

• your full name, date of birth, address, and contact details
• any previous names and previous addresses
• your partner's and dependent's (if you have any) full name, date of birth, address, and contact details
• your citizenship or visa status
• your income details - whether or not you need to provide this will depend on your age when you apply
• your bank account details and proof of your bank account.

You may also be asked to provide some documents with your application. We’ll let you know if these are needed, and how to get them to us.

Once you've completed the form, post it back to us at:

International Services
PO Box 27178
Wellington 6141

Or you can drop the form into one of our services centres.

If you're not getting a payment from us and want to apply for the Korean old age benefit, you can apply directly from the South Korean National Pension Service.

How to apply from South Korea

Already living in South Korea

You can apply for the Korean old age benefit using your New Zealand residence (between ages 20 and 65) to qualify. You still need to have at least 12 months' of coverage in South Korea. The South Korean National Pension Service will decide this for you.

When you apply for your Korean old age benefit, you'll be able to apply for a payment from New Zealand through the South Korean National Pension Service.

Moving to South Korea

Before you move overseas, we recommend you apply to get your NZ Super or Veteran's Pension payments paid overseas. This is called a portable payment and means you can still get your New Zealand payments while you're living overseas. When payments are made portable, the rate you get and when it's paid changes. You will only qualify for portable payments if you:

• are entitled to NZ Super or Veteran's Pension when you apply to make your payment portable, and
• are living and residing in New Zealand or South Korea when you apply, and
• are planning on living in South Korea for at least 26 weeks, and
• have spent at least 12 continuous months living and residing in New Zealand between the ages of 20 and 65.

You'll need to contact International Services to make your payment portable. You can do this at least four weeks before you move countries. You may also need to book an appointment at your local Work and Income office.

After you've applied

Applied for Korean old age benefit in New Zealand

Once you've sent us your application forms, we'll send them to South Korea to be assessed. They will confirm whether you're eligible and your payment amount, and send you a letter to confirm. You need to let us know by emailing a copy (photo or scan) of the letter or faxing it to International Services . You can also visit a Work and Income office so they can scan the letter - you don't need an appointment to do this.

Once we've received the letter, we'll contact you to let you know how this affects your payments from us, when the change will start, and if we need any other information from you.

Applied for New Zealand payments from South Korea

South Korea will send your application form to us. We'll check if you're eligible and send you a letter to let you know the outcome. If you're eligible we'll assess how much we'll pay you, and also let you know this in the letter.

How you'll be paid

Living in New Zealand

You'll get both your New Zealand Payment and your Korean old age benefit, but your New Zealand payment will be reduced by the amount of your Korean old age benefit (after any tax has been paid). This means your New Zealand payment will change when the exchange rate changes. When this happens we'll send you a letter to tell you what your new payment amount is, and the exchange rate we're using. If your Korean old age benefit is more than your New Zealand payment, you'll be paid only the Korean old age benefit.

Living in South Korea

Your payment amount from New Zealand will depend on:

• how long you lived in New Zealand, and
• the rate you would usually qualify for if you were living in New Zealand - this will be either a couple's rate (if you're in a relationship) or single person's rate. We cannot pay you the single living alone rate if you're not living in New Zealand.

To work out how much you'll be paid while living in South Korea, we:

• count how many whole months you've lived in New Zealand between the ages of 20 and 65, then
• divide this by 540, then
• multiply this by the rate you would usually qualify for (either the couple's rate or the single rate).

The most you can be paid is the gross amount of either the couple's or single rates. You can find these amounts here.

While you get a New Zealand payment and live in South Korea, we won't deduct tax from your New Zealand payments.

If your payments are put into a South Korean bank account, you may have to pay tax on these payments in South Korea. For more information contact the South Korean tax authority.

If your payments are put into a New Zealand bank account, you may need to pay tax on these payments in New Zealand and/or South Korea. For more information contact the relevant tax authorities.

When you'll be paid

While living in South Korea, your NZ Super or Veteran's Pension will be paid either:

• every 4 weeks if you're using an overseas bank account
• every 2 weeks if you'e using a New Zealand bank account, this will be paid the same day people in New Zealand are paid their pension.

If you're living in New Zealand, the South Korean National Pension Service will let you know when you'll be paid your Korean Old Age Pension.

Reviewing your payments

Living in New Zealand

The South Korean National Pension Service will send you a form every year to check you're still entitled to the Korean old age benefit. You need to fill in this form and have it witnessed. We can help you do this at one of our Work and Income offices - you won't need an appointment. Once the form is completed, return it to the South Korean National Pension Service. If you don't, your payments from both South Korea and New Zealand may stop.

You can review your Korean old age benefit at any time, for example if you have a change in income or you move overseas. Contact the South Korean National Pension Service to request a review.

They will let you know if there are any changes. If there are changes, or they find you're no longer eligible for the Korean old age benefit, contact International Services to let us know. We'll check how the changes affect your payments from us, and let you know what will happen next.

Living in South Korea

We'll send you a Client Declaration form every year or every 26 weeks, depending on your circumstances. This is to confirm your details and check you're still entitled to payments from us. You'll need to fill in the form and get it certified by a magistrate, New Zealand Embassy employee, or Justice of the Peace (or the South Korean equivalent). There's a full list of who can certify this and what they'll need to do in the form.

Make sure you return the form to us as quickly as possible. If you don't, your payments from us may stop, and any payments you're getting from South Korea may also stop. International Services can answer any questions you have about filling in this form.

When someone dies

When someone who was living in South Korea and getting a payment from New Zealand dies, the South Korean National Pension Service will let us know. Our International Services team will stop the person's payment.

If someone dies in New Zealand, you can find out what happens to their payments.

Legislation

You can read the full Social Welfare (Reciprocity with South Korea) Order 2021 (the Agreement) on the New Zealand Legislation website: